Illinois AG reviews 3,400 public-access issues

SPRINGFIELD – Illinois Attorney General Lisa Madigan says her public access bureau handled more than 3,400 new issues involving open records and meetings in 2013.

Madigan released the bureau's annual report Thursday in advance of Sunshine Week, which begins Sunday.

The bureau monitors compliance with the Freedom of Information Act and the Open Meetings Act in Illinois government.

Madigan says the vast majority of formal requests for bureau assistance came from members of the public from all parts of the state and involving every level of government — from small villages to large state bureaucracies.

The Public Access Bureau also took up to 50 questions daily through its FOIA hotline and received 300 mailed inquiries. The bureau conducted 35 training sessions for the public, government and more.